All In The Name Of Love
by Ponderosa Dreamer
Summary: Some bad language. An alternative story that explores what might have happened if Marie had survived her accident.


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All in the Name of Love

Paul Martin hesitated at the top of the stairs, dreading the news he had to give to one of his closest friends. At least now he was fairly certain that his patient would survive. He took a deep breath and descended, meeting, as he knew he would, Ben Cartwright's agonized gaze. "I'm sorry, Ben. She lost the baby."

Ben closed his eyes, a wave of pain washing over him. Marie had wanted another child so desperately! He looked back at the doctor. "Is she going to be all right?"

Paul looked at the two older boys, Adam's gaze piercing him and Hoss's clear blue eyes wide and fearful. Little Joe was curled up on the couch, finally asleep, but the five-year-old was a notoriously light sleeper. "Not here, Ben."

Ben turned to his oldest son. "Adam, why don't you and Hoss try to get Little Joe settled in his own bed?" The seventeen-year-old shot his father a glance that said he knew very well when he was being gotten out of the way, but picked up his little brother and herded his middle brother up the stairs.

When the boys had left the room, Paul pulled Ben over to a chair. "Sit down." He settled across from his friend. "Ben, it looks like Marie will make it." Ben went limp with relief. He couldn't face the thought of losing his beloved wife. The doctor continued, "You have to realize, both her legs were crushed when that horse rolled on her. I seriously doubt that they will ever heal properly."

Ben stared at him, not sure what he was trying to say. "What...what do you mean by heal properly?"

"I mean that it's most likely that she'll never be able to walk again. Marie will require a great deal of care for a long time to come, and she's going to be in severe pain for a while. You and the boys will have to be prepared to deal with this." Paul could see the defiance flare in Ben's eyes. "I know you'll do whatever it takes, but you're going to need help, Ben. I'll arrange for a full-time nurse for at least the first few weeks."

The long hours of uncertainty had rubbed Ben's nerves raw, and his temper flared. "I can take care of my own wife!"

"No one is saying you can't! Ben, Marie is going to need help with _everything,_ including her most personal needs. She'll be a lot more comfortable with another woman, believe me. Look," he clasped the other man's arm, "you've been through hell tonight, and you're exhausted. Just the fact that she survived this is a miracle. We both know that. Go on up and see her, then try and get some rest. I'm going to stay until the morning, then I'll ride in and see about the nurse."

Ben nodded and slowly got to his feet. Paul was right about him being exhausted. He suddenly felt like he hadn't slept in weeks. He moved up the stairs in a daze, overwhelmed by all the doctor had told him. He opened the bedroom door, staring at his wife lying so pale under the covers, then moved to the bedside, sinking into the chair next to her.

It seemed strange to see Marie looking so delicate. Although a small woman, she was normally so lively and sparkling, it was hard to think of her as frail. He picked up her hand and held it to his cheek. He couldn't imagine his vivacious wife unable to run, chasing Little Joe in one of their endless games, unable to ride the spirited horses that she loved, unable to dance as they had so many times. At least she was alive! Whatever came next, somehow they would find the strength to deal with it.

He bent to gently kiss her forehead, then laid his head next to hers on the pillow. The weariness he felt finally overcame him, and he drifted into sleep.

v v v

Fifteen years later...

Marie stirred, waking fully as she felt the empty pillow next to her. She blinked against the glare of the morning sun streaming through the window. Already full daylight. She knew Ben would have been up and gone for a couple of hours. She debated for a few minutes whether to try to go back to sleep, then grimaced as she felt the familiar tension in her legs. She knew that soon they would start knotting up in spasms, and reached for the bell next to the bed.

"Morning, Mrs. Cartwright." Marsha Rafferty came in as soon as she heard the soft chatter of the bell. As Marie's attendant for the past five years, she knew to look for the signs of pain in her employer's face. She matter-of-factly began massaging Marie's twisted legs, easing the cramps even as they formed.

"Thank you, Mrs. Rafferty." Marie relaxed as the spasms faded. "I am ready to get up now."

Without comment, Marsha helped Marie to sit up, then assisted her in dressing. Marie clasped her arms around the younger woman's neck and let herself be lifted from the bed to the waiting wheelchair. Wheeling herself to the lowered vanity, she completed her morning routine. By the time she felt she was presentable, Marsha had finished making the bed and putting Marie's nightclothes away. "Thank you, Mrs. Rafferty. I will be fine now." The nurse nodded and left the room. She had learned early on that Mrs. Cartwright wanted to do as much for herself as possible, and preferred her husband's help when he was there.

Marie rolled from the bedroom to the dining room. Soon after her accident, Ben had moved all the furniture from their second-floor bedroom to the room downstairs. It was certainly more practical than having to carry her and her wheelchair up and down, but sometimes it seemed to Marie as if half her house was effectively off-limits to her.

"Morning, Missy Cahtlight! You like coffee?" Hop Sing beamed his usual greeting at her.

"Yes, thank you, Hop Sing. In the living room, please." She wheeled into the great room to a spot near the fireplace. She picked up the sewing basket from the table and pulled out a shirt. It was one of Joe's good dress shirts. Now how had he managed to tear the sleeve in church? She smiled and shook her head as she started mending the rip.

As the cook brought her coffee, he started scolding her, "You miss blekfast again! No good alla time miss meal! Missy get too skinny, look like fence post!"

Marie smiled at him. "Hop Sing, if I ate as much as you want me to, I would soon be too big to fit in my chair! Then where would I be?"

"That okay. Then Mistah Cahtlight buy biggah chair!" That was the logical solution in Hop Sing's mind.

Marie smiled as the cook retreated to his kitchen, muttering in Chinese. Hop Sing had fussed over her like an old mother hen even before she'd been injured, and they'd had some rousing battles when Marie had started to resume what normal activities she could. She knew he kept a careful eye on her, and if he'd been seriously concerned, would have spoken to her husband.

After mending the torn shirt and patching a pair of pants, Marie replaced the sewing basket on the table. It was a good thing she'd learned to be handy with a needle and thread at a very young age, else her family would have been walking around in rags! As hard as Ben and her boys were on clothes, getting them to buy anything new was a major project. Except for Joe. But then, if allowed to shop on his own, he would wind up with fancy suits and shirts, and nothing practical for ranch work.

Mrs. Rafferty came from the kitchen. "Mrs. Cartwright, it's almost time for your exercises."

Marie sighed. The daily exercise routine was often painful, but she knew that the movements kept her damaged muscles from cramping even worse than they already did. "All right." She started to wheel toward the bedroom.

After helping Marie tend to her personal needs, Mrs. Rafferty assisted her through the prescribed exercises, then finished up by massaging her legs. These sessions usually left Marie tired and sore, so the younger woman saw to it that she was settled comfortably, then left the room, saying, "Just let me know when you're ready to get up."

As Marie lay back on the bed, she wondered yet again about the quiet young widow. Despite having worked for the Cartwrights for so long, Mrs. Rafferty seemed reticent about her past. She had made it clear from the beginning that she preferred to keep her relationship with Marie on a professional level. About all Marie knew about her was that she was in her late twenties, had lost her husband several years before, and had no children. And she was a very capable nurse.

Marie wished at times that Mrs. Rafferty was someone she could confide in, but realized that given the intimate nature of the care that she sometimes required, it was probably better to keep that bit of distance. After all, she had plenty of friends, and would be appalled at the thought of asking them to do some of the things Mrs. Rafferty did for her regularly.

After about half an hour, Marie was getting restless. She was reaching for the bell, just as a soft knock sounded at the door. "Come in."

Mrs. Rafferty looked into the room. "I thought you might be ready."

Marie nodded. "Yes, please." The nurse helped her into the chair, then left her to wheel herself from the room. Marie disliked having anyone push her, finding it awkward to talk to someone who was behind her. Picking up the book she'd been reading last night, Marie rolled to the door and maneuvered herself out to the porch. It was warm and sunny out, and some fresh air sounded good.

She looked up from the book some time later when she heard a buggy approaching the yard, only to cringe inside when she recognized the visitor. Wilton Mayfield had been trying for over a month to buy a parcel of land that Ben refused to sell. "Mr. Mayfield, good morning." She knew why Ben wouldn't sell him the land; Mayfield was a notorious clear-cutter. His logging operation would cut every tree on a plot, and leave nothing to replace them. Marie had seen the devastating results first-hand. When the rain came, there was nothing to hold the ground, and floods would turn what had once been forest land into a muddy, barren waste. 

"Good morning, Mrs. Cartwright. I was wondering if I could have a word with your husband." Another reason Marie disliked this man was his condescension. While his words were polite enough, something in his manner suggested that he thought a woman, especially a disabled woman, was incapable of understanding a simple business discussion. 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mayfield. Ben is not here right now. I will tell him you called." She hoped for a moment that he would take the hint and be on his way.

"I thought I would wait for him. I'm sure he wouldn't leave you alone for very long." He began pushing her toward the front door without even asking if she minded.

Marie grabbed at the wheels of the chair. "Mr. Mayfield, I do not wish to go inside yet! Please have a seat." She indicated the chair on the porch.

"I'm sorry. I thought..." 

"If I require your assistance, I will ask for it!" Marie fought to control her anger at his presumption. "Please sit down. I expect that my husband will be back soon."

Mayfield sat, then gazed around uncomfortably, trying not to stare at her too obviously. After an attempt or two at polite conversation, Marie gave up and returned to her book. It was clear that Mr. Mayfield felt uneasy around her, and the feeling was mutual.

He looked relieved when Ben rode up a few minutes later. Marie knew _she _was. It had been hard to resist the temptation to stare back at him as rudely as he had been staring at her. She closed the book and smiled a greeting at her husband.

"Hello, love. Lunch almost ready?" Ben bent and kissed his wife.

Marie grinned at the obvious opening he had given her. "I will check." Turning to their visitor, "Excuse me, Mr. Mayfield." 

The other man suddenly realized that he was still seated, and shot to his feet. "Good day, Mrs. Cartwright."

Marie turned and rolled into the house, glad to be away from Wilton Mayfield. Something about that man just made her uncomfortable.

Ben eyed the unexpected guest warily. "Mayfield, I thought I made myself clear. That property is not for sale."

Mayfield tried for a sincere smile, but didn't quite pull it off. He wound up looking more like a wolf with an eye on a fat young calf. "I just thought I'd give you one more chance, Cartwright. You're turning down a tidy profit."

Ben shook his head. "You're not listening. I said it's not for sale, at _any _price."

The wolf snarled. "You mean it's not for sale to _me, _don't you! I heard that you offered it to Litzcombe, for half what I'm willing to pay. That's prime timber land, and worth what I'm offering."

Ben's face hardened. "Yes, it's prime land, and it's going to stay that way. I've seen what your logging methods have done." He'd had more than enough of this conversation. "I don't see that we have anything more to discuss. Good day, Mr. Mayfield." He turned toward the door, dismissing the other man.

"Cartwright, just remember that the time may come when you _want _to sell me that land, and I may not be feeling so generous!"

Ben wheeled and glared at him. "Is that a threat?"

"Take it any way you want. As far as I'm concerned, it's a statement of fact!" Mayfield strode to his buggy, climbed in and drove off, leaving Ben staring at the cloud of dust he raised.

Ben was still mulling over Mayfield's last comments when he sat at his place in the dining room. Marie's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Mr. Mayfield is gone, yes?"

"Hmm?" He looked over at his wife. "Oh, yes, he left." He turned his attention to his lunch.

Marie shivered slightly. "There is something about that man that I do not like." 

"Yeah, his ideas about logging, for one thing." Ben mentally added, besides being rude, obnoxious, and annoying.

Marie shook her head. "No, it is more than that. There is almost something evil about him."

He looked at her sharply. Marie's instincts about people were seldom far off the mark. "What do you mean, evil?"

"I think he is one of those who will try anything to get what he wants." She forced her mind away from dark thoughts of Wilton Mayfield. "I don't want to talk about him any more."

Ben grinned at her, and started telling her about his morning's ride to look over this spring's new calves, and how they were thriving on the lush summer grass. As they jumped from topic to topic, both knew that the subject really didn't matter. The main reason Ben made it a point to be home for lunch as often as possible was to just to spend a little time together, without the rest of the family around. He suspected that his sons understood this, too, and that was why they generally stayed away at noontime. Dinner was usually a lively affair, with lots of conversation and good-natured joking, but lunch was their time, his and Marie's.

As Ben prepared to ride back out, he thought again about Mayfield's thinly veiled threat. For a moment, he considered staying in that afternoon and working on the books. Marie picked up on his reluctance to leave. "Go on, Ben. Hop Sing will be here. I will be fine." She was not about to let a weasel like Wilton Mayfield start interfering in their lives!

As soon as Ben rode off, Mrs. Rafferty saw to it that Marie was settled for the afternoon, before riding out herself. She had taken on some additional patients in the area who needed occasional, but not full-time care. Usually these were people who required regular follow-up, but were not sick enough to need frequent visits from the doctor.

Neither Ben nor Marsha Rafferty was aware of the six eyes that followed them from the house. "Okay, the old man's gone, and there goes that nurse. That just leaves her and the cook. Let's go, and remember what the boss said. He wants the goods undamaged." The leader glared at the other two.

The taller of his two companions, a skinny man with greasy blond hair, chuckled, "Way I hear it, she's pretty much damaged goods already!"

"Shut up!" the first one snapped. "You know what I mean." The three men rode down toward the house.

Marie was heading for the door to retrieve the book she'd left outside, when she heard a stream of Chinese erupt from the kitchen only to be cut off and followed by a muffled thump. "Hop Sing?" When she got no reply, she called again, "Hop Sing, is something wrong?" She started toward the kitchen.

She was only halfway through the dining room, when the leader of the three came round the corner from the kitchen, nearly running into her. Startled at the appearance of a stranger in her home, Marie lost a second before she began to back away from him.

"Oh no ya don't, pretty lady!" He lunged for her just as she tried to turn the chair, thinking she would be able to move faster going forward. The intruder tripped over the edge of the dining room rug, turned up by her sudden turn, and landed hard against the side of the wheelchair. Next thing he knew, he was picking himself up from on top of an unconscious Marie Cartwright. The wheelchair lay on its side nearby.

At the clatter of the overturning chair, the man's two cohorts emerged from the kitchen. The tall, skinny one stared down at the still figure lying on the floor. "Oh shit, Derrick! The boss is gonna have our asses for this!"

The shorter man growled at him, "Shut up, Lafe! She ain't hurt. C'mon, let's get her outta here." He didn't want to linger here, on the off chance that old man Cartwright or one of his boys would show up ahead of schedule.

The third man, built shorter than the others, but thick-set and husky, hoisted Marie over his shoulder with little trouble, then eyed the scratches on Derrick's face. "Looks like she gave ya a fight."

Derrick glowered at him. "Shut up, Rogers. I wanna get goin' before the whole damn place knows we're here!"

v v v

As Rogers carried Marie into the house, Lafe noticed something. "Hey, Derrick, ya done lost one uh yer fancy buttons!"

Derrick looked down at his vest, cursing as he realized that one of the distinctive silver buttons was missing. He tried to remember the last time he'd noticed it there. Was it after they left the Ponderosa? "Damn!" He hoped he'd lost it on the road, either going or coming, and not in the house when their quarry had struggled with him. Most people wouldn't think twice about that button, but there was one person on the Ponderosa who would recognize it in an instant!

Lafe laughed at the other man's expression. "Aw hell! What do you care? We're gettin' paid good enough for this that you kin buy a whole mess of silver buttons!"

"Shut up, Lafe!" Derrick scowled and headed inside. He'd better keep quiet about the button. If the boss found out that they might have left evidence in the house that could be traced back to him, there'd be hell to pay.

v v v

Marie opened her eyes cautiously. Her head was splitting! She must have hit it when she fell. Remembering the fall brought the rest of the incident back to her. She looked around the strange room. She was lying on a soft bed, and the room was well-appointed. That ruffian who'd knocked her over must have been working for someone else. This room was certainly not his style! Marie shifted, trying to get comfortable. Whoever had put her on the bed had just dumped her there, leaving her legs tangled. The limited use she had of her legs was barely enough to enable her to rearrange herself in a less awkward position.

She turned as the door opened, and her eyes widened as she recognized her captor. "You!"

"Yes, my dear Mrs. Cartwright. I hope you are comfortable. You could be my guest for quite a while. Just how long depends on your husband." Her "host" turned and walked out of the room.

Marie closed her eyes and fought down a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She prayed that Ben wouldn't try anything foolish attempting to rescue her. She was sure that Wilton Mayfield wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

v v v

Adam frowned as he rode up to the house. The front door standing half-open was the first sign that something was wrong. If Marie had gone in and been unable to close it for some reason, she would have called Hop Sing or Mrs. Rafferty to close it. Besides, the door wasn't open enough to allow her chair to pass through. He dismounted and draped the reins over the hitching rail, drawing his gun as he slipped into the house. He felt silly for a moment, creeping into his own home with a weapon drawn, but there was something definitely not right about this!

He looked around the main room, seeing nothing out of place. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the wheelchair lying on its side in the dining room. Had Marie fallen? He checked the bedroom, wondering if she might be hurt. "Marie?" he called out. A groan answered him from the direction of the kitchen. He followed the sound.

"Hop Sing!" Adam spotted the cook, just sitting up on the kitchen floor, holding the back of his head. "What happened?" He holstered his pistol and knelt by the smaller man's side.

"Mistah Adam! Someone come in Hop Sing kitchen, hit upside head! Boom, all black. Hop Sing not see who." Hop Sing seemed more indignant over the intrusion into his kitchen than being hit over the head.

Adam helped him to his feet. "Are you all right?"

"Head hurt, but Hop Sing okay. What they want, anyway?"

"Hop Sing, where's Marie? Have you seen her?" Adam was starting to get worried. Hop Sing had been knocked out cold, and the only thing that was missing from the house was his stepmother.

"Adam?" Adam heard his father's voice calling from the porch.

Ben was puzzled by the sight of his son's horse standing at the rail. He knew Adam had been planning to come back early to go over some paperwork, but it wasn't like him to neglect the animal.

"In here, Pa!" Ben started toward Adam's voice, stopping as his heart leapt to his throat when he saw his wife's wheelchair lying there. 

"Marie! Marie!" Ben charged into their bedroom, looking frantically for her. In a moment, he came back out, only to run into Adam. "Adam, where's Marie? What's happened?"

"I don't know, Pa. I just got here myself. Someone knocked Hop Sing out, and it looks like they took her." Adam was ready to restrain his father, if necessary.

"But who would want to..." Ben's eyes grew cold. "Mayfield!"

"What?" Adam knew of Mayfield's offer, of course, but he also knew that Ben had turned him down flat.

"Wilton Mayfield was here this morning, still pestering me about that property. He wasn't ready to take 'no' for an answer. He even said that soon I would want to sell him the land!" Ben could believe that Mayfield would kidnap Marie to pressure him into accepting the offer.

"Pa, you don't know that's what happened. All you're going on is what he said. That doesn't prove that he's involved." Adam could think of several other people who might hold a grudge against the Cartwrights.

"It may not be proof, but it's enough reason for me to ride over and have a talk with him!" Ben turned back toward the door. Adam planted himself in front of him.

"Pa, wait! If Mayfield is holding her, that could be the worst thing to do. If he took her, it was because he wants something. You go riding in there and confront him, who knows what he might do." Adam grabbed his father's arm as he spoke, trying to make him see that he could be placing Marie in even greater danger. "As soon as Joe and Hoss get back, I'll ride into town and talk to the sheriff." He didn't want to leave Ben alone right now. 

Ben closed his eyes and nodded, realizing that Adam was making sense. "All right. But if I find out he _does _have her, and if he's hurt her, there won't be anywhere he can hide from me."

Adam's face was grim. "If anyone's hurt her, Pa, you'll have to get in line!" Although Adam had resented Marie when Ben first married her, he had eventually realized that she was not trying to replace his Mama, Inger. Since Adam had never known his own mother, Inger was the mother he remembered as a little boy. That was the reason he had never been able to call Marie "mother," but they had grown close over the years. She had been the one to act as a buffer between himself and Pa, especially during the clashes that were inevitable between a teenage boy and his father. Marie had provided security and stability in his life, when he had known very little of either during his early childhood.

Hop Sing had, without a word, righted Marie's wheelchair and moved it into the bedroom. Ben and Adam went to the door as they heard riders in the yard.

Joe and Hoss pulled up, both laughing over some silliness. They sobered immediately at the expression on their father's and brother's faces. "What's wrong?" Hoss was asking even before they dismounted.

Adam was already moving toward his horse. "Marie's missing. You two stay here with Pa. I'm going to go get the sheriff." He was in the saddle and gone.

Joe stared after his oldest brother for a moment, then turned to Ben. "Pa? What's going on? What did Adam mean, Ma's missing?"

Ben took his youngest by the arm. "Let's go inside." He wanted Joe halfway settled before he gave him this news. His hot-headed son was likely to take this badly. "Adam came home and found Hop Sing out cold in the kitchen. Your mother was gone, but her chair was tipped over, like she'd been struggling with someone."

Hoss asked, "Did Hop Sing see 'em, Pa? You know who it was?"

Ben shook his head. "He didn't see anyone. Whoever it was hit him from behind. But I have a feeling it was someone working for Wilton Mayfield. He was around here this morning, and he got nasty when I told him that I wasn't selling him that timber land under any circumstances."

Joe tried to pull away from his father. "Well, why are we just standing here! Let's go over there and get her!" 

Hoss moved in to help his father control his younger brother. "Settle down, Joe. You ain't gonna do any good if you go off half-cocked!" Ben and Hoss between them got Joe sitting on the couch.

Ben could see that the boy was wound up like a spring. "Joe, Hoss is right. We could do more harm than good barging in there and forcing his hand. Besides, as Adam said, there's a slight possibility that it could be someone else. Just take it easy!"

Joe looked up at his father, his eyes terrified. "Pa, what if they hurt her? We can't just do nothing!"

Ben sat next to him, putting an arm over his son's shoulders. "We're not going to do nothing. If Mayfield had her kidnapped, he'll let us know what he wants. He's too calculating to do something like this just out of spite."

Hoss had wandered out to the porch and stood there, staring off into the pines. Ma just had to be all right! 

Hoss had been too young to understand Adam's initial coldness to Marie when she had first come to the Ponderosa. All he had known was that he suddenly had a mother, something he'd always wanted. Hoss's immediate acceptance of their stepmother had driven some distance between the two brothers for a while, until Adam had come around. Marie had been able to see the gentle, sensitive soul inside the child, while most of the world had seen only an oversize kid. She had been the one to comfort him when he'd come home from school crying over the taunts and name-calling from other children. Hoss remembered several times when she'd lit into adults who made thoughtless comments about his size. She'd always encouraged him to be proud of who he was, no matter what other people said.

Ben interrupted his thoughts gently. "Hoss, you all right, son?"

"Yeah, Pa, I'm okay. Just thinkin' that's all." Hoss turned to his father. "Little Joe settle down?"

Ben nodded, "Yeah, at least 'til Adam gets back with Roy."

Joe prowled his bedroom restlessly, wanting to get out and _do _something, anything, to get his mother back. He could see Pa's point, that it was better to wait for Mayfield to make a move, but that didn't make it any easier!

Joe had always been fiercely protective of Marie. He could just barely remember her before the accident, when she would run and play with him. Pa had always said that Ma was special, and when he was small, he thought that meant because she had a wheelchair and other people didn't. Growing up, he'd often gotten into scraps with children who made mean remarks about his mother being "different." Ma was different, all right, but not because she couldn't walk. She was beautiful and funny and loving. He remembered riding on her lap in her chair, and how proud he'd been the first time she let him push her up the aisle in church. Once he asked her why she couldn't walk like other kids' mothers, and she'd answered, "I think I was too quick before, always flitting from one thing to another. God had to find a way to slow me down!" They'd both laughed over that.

Downstairs, Ben opened the door and went into their bedroom. The empty wheelchair sitting there brought tears to his eyes. "Please God! Just bring her back to me!" He hadn't felt this lost since that hellish night fifteen years ago that had changed all their lives forever. He'd loved Elizabeth and Inger as deeply as he loved Marie, and their deaths had devastated him, but he'd gone on. He'd had to; he had young children to care for. He knew that if he'd lost Marie that night, he'd have picked up the pieces yet again, for his boys. But now he wasn't so sure he could do it again.

He picked up a picture from the dresser, staring at the image of Marie and himself seated, with Adam, Hoss, and Joe standing behind them. He smiled, remembering her indignant reaction to the photographer's suggestion that they move her out of the wheelchair for the portrait. "Nonsense! This chair is part of our family, too, and it will be in the picture!" Ben knew the real reason behind her refusal. She didn't like anyone outside the family seeing her being lifted in and out of the chair. It was hard enough on her independent nature when they went to town, and she had to be moved from the buggy to the chair in public.

Everything in the room seemed to be attached to memories. Everything in the house, in fact. When he had brought Marie from New Orleans, twenty-one years before, he and his sons had been living in a small cabin. They had planned and built this house together, finishing it just in time for Marie to give birth to Joe in the bedroom upstairs that had been theirs. He felt another wave of grief as he remembered that Marie had also lost his fourth child in that room, the night she'd fallen from the horse. Many months later, he'd asked, and Paul Martin had told him that he thought the child had been a girl, but it had been too early to be sure.

Ben moved around the room, touching the memories there. In some ways, it seemed like he and Marie had always been together, but he still found it hard to believe that it had been so long since he'd made that trip to New Orleans. All he knew was that he couldn't imagine his life without her.

v v v

Lafe carried the tray into the room, wrinkling his nose at the smell as he entered. "Ah, geez! I ain't takin' care of _that!" _He retreated, leaving Marie lying in the dampness. She was uncomfortable, and furious that no one had come in response to her calls for help, but she refused to be ashamed of something that was beyond her control.

A moment later, Mayfield entered the room. "What's the matter? Lafe said you'd..." His nose told him what had happened. 

Marie glared at him. "I called out for help. I am unable to get up by myself! Any idiot should have realized that this would happen sooner or later. I will need some assistance, but I don't want _you _touching me! I want a woman to help me."

Mayfield stared at her for a minute, then left the room. Almost immediately, a young girl entered and stood there, seeming to be scared of Marie. "Well, don't just stand there! I need to get up, and I will need dry clothes!" Marie was too angry to feel any sympathy for the girl. 

The girl followed Marie's instructions without saying a word, then left. Marie only then noticed the tray of food sitting on the table. "These people are all fools!" she thought to herself, still seething over the indignity of her earlier situation. She called out again, "I need some help."

The girl stuck her head in the door. Marie said, "I cannot reach the food over there. Surely it is not Mr. Mayfield's intention to starve me!" The youngster brought the tray to her, then left, again without speaking.

v v v

Marsha felt confused as she entered the house. What was the sheriff doing here? All five men looked worried. Ben stopped her as she headed for the downstairs bedroom, where she assumed Mrs. Cartwright was.

"Mrs. Rafferty, a moment please." Ben waited until she had joined the group. "When you left this afternoon, did you notice any strangers hanging around, anyone who didn't belong here?"

She frowned. "No, why? What's going on?"

"Mrs. Cartwright has been kidnapped. I was hoping you might have seen someone." The sheriff held out his hand toward her. "Nobody here recognizes this. Is it yours?" He showed her an ornately carved silver button.

Marsha paled at the sight. "Derrick!" she whispered. She looked up at the sheriff and her employer. "It's not mine, sheriff, but...but I've seen one like it before."

"Where?" Ben pounced on the shred of information.

The young woman hesitated, then made her decision. The Cartwrights were decent people, and didn't deserve to be mixed up with the likes of _him! _"My...my ex-husband had a vest with buttons like that. I've never seen any other ones like them."

Adam looked at the nurse sharply. "Ex-husband? I thought you were widowed."

She met his gaze. "It's just less complicated to explain to people. Most folks don't like the idea of a divorced nurse working for them."

Roy interrupted, "That's no matter now. Ma'am, what's your ex-husband's name, and do you know where he is?"

"Derrick Rafferty. I didn't even know he was anywhere near here, sheriff. I haven't seen him in over five years." She was suddenly fearful. Had he come here looking for her, or was this just a coincidence?

"Pa, that bunch that works for Mayfield, I heard one of 'em call the other one 'Derrick' last week in town!" Joe was ready to go after the man who'd taken his mother.

Ben looked at the sheriff. "It's a link, Roy. Now we know Mayfield's involved."

Roy Coffee shook his head. "It's not proof. It might prove that this Rafferty character was in the house, but that's all. Ben, we still have to wait for Mayfield to make the next move."

"Well, he'd better make it soon!" Ben left the unspoken threat hanging in the air.

v v v

They didn't have long to wait. About an hour later, they heard a thump at the door. Hoss got there first, and opened the door, gun in hand. He caught a glimpse of what looked like a young girl riding away, then looked down at his feet. There was a small box there, wrapped in brown paper. He carried it in to his father, and handed it over silently.

Roy stopped Ben before he could open it. "Better let me get it, Ben." Roy had run across some very sick characters in his career, and was afraid that the box might contain something gruesome. Kidnappers sometimes sent a finger or an ear to convince their victims' families that they were serious. He could at least spare his old friend that sort of a shock.

The sheriff breathed a sigh of relief when he opened the package and found a woman's locket and a piece of paper. He held up the locket. "Marie's?"

Ben took it, his face crumbling as he clasped it. "Yes." He recognized it instantly. He had given it to her for their first anniversary. The picture inside was of the two of them, taken just before they had left New Orleans together. When he had composed himself, he took the paper from Roy and began reading.

__

Cartwright,

I warned you that you would want to sell me that land. Unfortunately, additional expenses incurred by me in the course of this venture require that I lower my offer to you. I will pay one-half of the price you offered to accept from Litzcombe, no more. 

If you should feel inclined to reject my gracious offer, I encourage you to think of your lovely wife. While I have enjoyed having her as my guest, she is most anxious to return home, and I would greatly regret the need to harm her, should it become necessary.

Should you desire to complete this transaction, bring the deed and a bill of sale to my home, no later than midnight tonight. I am afraid that I will be unable to entertain Mrs. Cartwright any longer than that, and at that time I will have to make other arrangements for her. Do not bring anyone else with you. If you attempt to cross me, your lovely lady will pay the price!

Wilton Mayfield

Ben crumpled Mayfield's note and headed for the desk. "Adam, where's the deed for that property?" He pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing.

"In the safe." Adam wasn't surprised at his father's reaction.

"Get it." In large letters, Ben had written across the top of the paper "Bill of Sale."

Roy understood that his friend would do what was necessary to get his wife back, but he also knew that kidnappers rarely released their victims after their demands were met. "Ben, I don't know if this is such a good idea."

Ben blazed back at him, "What would you have me do, Roy? Let him kill her? If I give him what he wants, at least I have a chance of getting her back!"

"All right, but I ain't lettin' you ride out there alone. I'll stay back, so's he can't see me, just in case." 

"No! I won't take that chance, not with Marie's life." 

Adam could see the sheriff's point. "Pa, we've got no guarantee that he'll keep his word." He leaned over the desk. "Once you deliver that deed, Mayfield could just decide to kill both of you." Out of the corner of his eye, Adam could see Hoss and Joe, ready to back him up if needed. "You can't just go riding in there by yourself, Pa."

Joe spoke up. "Adam's right, Pa. We can stay out of sight. As long as nothing goes wrong, Mayfield won't even know we're there. But we're not gonna let you go alone. You'll need us there if something happens."

Ben was angered by the audacity of his youngest son. Who did the boy think he was, telling _him _what he wasn't going to be allowed to do! He looked up to see his three sons standing together, fear for him in all their eyes. "We're goin' with ya, Pa." Hoss said softly.

"Ben, I promise you, we won't do anything to endanger Marie." Roy could tell that Ben was more afraid of getting Marie hurt than of what might happen to him.

Ben could see he wasn't going to be able to do this his way. Even if he left on his own, they would just follow him. It was probably safer to plan ahead, and know what they were going to be up to.

v v v

A short while after the conversation, the sheriff left. Over the course of the evening, the Cartwright sons drifted away from the house, one by one, leaving their father alone. Rogers, watching the house from the hill, remarked to Lafe, "Sure seem all broke up about their ma, don't they?" and snickered.

"Ah, hell. Only the purty one is really her kid. The old man already had the other two when he hooked up with her." Lafe didn't see anything odd about the Cartwrights' behavior. "Shit, it's colder than a polar bear's ass end up here!"

Rogers grinned at his skinny partner's discomfort. "You just need some meat on yer bones, boy."

Later, they saw a lone figure riding away from the Ponderosa. "There he goes. Looks like he's alone, too. About time!" Lafe was glad to leave the windy hillside. "Better let the boss know."

Rogers was just as glad to leave. "Yeah, I just hope your dumb sister ain't pissed him off again!"

"Hell, at least she's good for somethin' right now!" Lafe had been stuck raising his kid sister after their folks died, but he'd never been happy about it. "Let's get outta here."

v v v

The Mayfield place appeared deserted when Ben rode up. A light shone in the downstairs window, though, and as Ben dismounted, the door opened.

"Ah, good evening Cartwright. I trust you've come to conclude our business deal." Mayfield stepped out onto the porch.

"I've come to get my wife! I want to see her, then you'll get the deed." Ben was in no mood to play his games.

"I understand perfectly, Mr. Cartwright. Unfortunately, that may be a bit difficult. Mrs. Cartwright is, shall we say, _indisposed _at the moment." He enjoyed watching Cartwright squirm at that.

Ben's blood ran cold when he heard Mayfield's refusal. God, had he already killed her? "That's the deal, Mayfield. You get the land when I see for myself that she's all right." He had to fight to keep his voice steady.

"It seems you don't trust me, sir. Very well," he turned to someone still in the house. "Derrick, would you bring Mrs. Cartwright down here?"

Ben waited in silence, his heart pounding. The minutes stretched endlessly, until another man appeared on the porch, Marie in his arms. Ben started toward her without thinking, until he heard the click of a gun being cocked.

"Don't come any closer!" Mayfield had the pistol pointed at Marie's head. "Just put the documents on the ground, lay your gun on top of them and back away." Ben did as he was told.

"Very good, Mr. Cartwright." Mayfield grinned motioned Derrick to bring Marie along so he could keep the gun on her as he retrieved the papers. He stuck Ben's gun in his belt, and inspected the writing. "Everything seems to be in order." He nodded at the other man, who set Marie down on the ground. Both of them backed away as Ben rushed to his wife.

"Marie, oh God, love! Are you hurt?" He knelt to hold her.

"Ben! Thank God you're here. I'm fine." She held on to him like she would never let go.

Mayfield cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt such a touching reunion, but I'm afraid there is one little matter I forgot to mention earlier. You see, I really can't afford to leave you two as witnesses. I'm sorry, Cartwright. It _was _a pleasure doing business with you."

To Ben's horror, Mayfield raised his gun toward them. As he pulled the trigger, Ben threw himself over Marie, trying to shield her with his own body. Gunfire erupted all around them, and Ben suddenly felt a burning pain in his calf. 

As quickly as they had started, the shots stopped. "Pa!" Joe was the first to notice the blood on his father's leg. "Adam, Hoss, Pa's hit!" 

"Ben!" Marie was frightened for a moment at his appearance, his eyes closed, the pain evident on his face.

He pushed himself away from her with a grunt. "I'm all right. It's nothing."

"Nothing! Ben, you were shot!" Joe helped her to sit up, while Adam hastily bandaged Ben's leg.

Ben looked around the yard as Adam took care of the wound. Mayfield and Derrick lay near the porch, both obviously dead. Roy had two others in handcuffs, standing over by the barn. Hoss had gone inside to see if anyone else was in the house. He came out a minute later with a young girl. "She was the only one in there, Roy." 

The girl looked terrified when she saw her brother handcuffed and put up on a horse for the ride to town. The sheriff walked over to her. "Did you have any part in this?" She paled and shook her head.

Lafe spoke up. "That's just Celia, sheriff, my dummy sister! She don't know nothing."

Marie told Roy, "I don't think she had anything to do with it. She took care of me, but that's all. I think she cannot speak, but I know she can hear."

Celia looked at her gratefully and nodded. She pulled the high collar she wore away from her neck so they could see the scars there. The sheriff's expression softened. "Don't you worry, miss. Your brother's gonna have to go to jail for a while, but we'll find somewhere for you to stay." 

The girl glared at her brother, the look on her face saying that she didn't care if he ever got out of jail. The years of insults and degradation he had thrown at her were too much to be forgiven. She walked to the barn, and saddled herself a horse for the ride into town.

Hoss came out of the barn with a wagon hitched and ready to go. "I figured this'd be the easiest way to get you and Ma home, Pa."

Ben bristled for a moment at the suggestion that he was too feeble to sit a horse, but then calmed at the sound of Marie's light laugh. "Good Lord, Ben. Don't look so fierce. After all, how often do we have a chance for a moonlight ride?"

He felt his leg still throbbing, and realized that Hoss was probably right. He allowed his sons to settle him in the back of the wagon next to Marie, and cuddled her close as they started down the road toward home.

As the wagon bumped along, Ben looked at his wife, and thanked God that she had been returned safely to him. "You know," he murmured, "you might just have something with this moonlight ride thing." He bent and kissed her.

— The End —


End file.
